01/11/2016
NEWS STORY
According to German's Auto Bild, Ross Brawn "is set to become F1's new boss and replace current CEO Bernie Ecclestone".
Auto Bild, whose story has been picked up by sections of the media, claims that Brawn, who steered Benetton, Ferrari and his own team to title glory, as well as laying the foundations of the Mercedes team, has "signed a deal with new F1 owners Liberty Media."
The claim comes at a time the Briton has stepped out of the shadows for the first time in a number of years, conveniently at just the time his book Total Competition is about to hit the shelves.
While we are in no way suggesting that this is part of a publicity stunt to promote the book - something that Brawn would never be a party to - the idea of the Briton "replacing" Ecclestone just doesn't feel right.
Excerpts from his book reveal that he left Mercedes, just before it became the sport's new dominant force, because of a lack of trust in Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda.
"I couldn't trust these people, so I saw no future unless I was willing to go to war and remove them. I saw no future with people that I didn't feel I could trust.
"I have never faced that and maybe I just didn't feel passionately enough about the whole project to want to go through that grief."
He also admits that he loathed the politics of F1.
"If someone said, 'do you want to come back and do a bit of engineering?' I could be tempted," he admits. "But to have to deal with all the politics of Formula 1, that was probably the side I enjoyed least of what I did. And therefore the side that is least attractive to me. It is probably the arena I am least comfortable with in Formula 1."
Surely, Bernie Ecclestone's role is the most political in F1, if not all sport. The man has to manage deals on a global scale at all levels, putting together a show that entertains millions and employs thousands.
Whether he's banging heads together, massaging egos or convincing a government to commit to long terms deals to become part of the circus and thereby commit millions to the sport's coffers, Ecclestone is the ultimate ringmaster.
In one basic example, after months of wrangling over the 2017 pre-season tests, Ecclestone calls a meeting and it's fixed in a couple of hours.
If Ross couldn't handle the politics and lack of trust at one team how is he going to keep all eleven in line?
While the sport clearly needs Brawn, it is in a role on the technical side of the sport - something largely outside Ecclestone's remit - a role aimed at taking the sport forward.
Stepping into Bernie's shoes and finding himself on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to governments, the media, the teams and the drivers, keeping them in line and massaging all those precious egos would have Brawn back on the riverbank in no not time.
The politics of F1 takes its toll, and Bernie has the scars to prove it - most of them in his back - and while there is clearly a role - and a need - for Brawn - "replacing" Bernie isn't it. Ultimately, neither the sport nor Ross would benefit.
Such is the way Ecclestone has shaped his role, it will need a committee to replace him… and we all know the problems with committees.